Monday, February 16, 2009

Old Magic

I'm happily laying in my bed as I write this post, yay for President's Day! This weekend has exhausted me, or I'm coming down with something. I had a pretty busy weekend, so let's hope I just need some relaxation time.

One of the main accomplishments of the weekend was finishing Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Unfortunately I had already seen parts of the movie, including some pivotal ending scenes, but I blew threw the last 100 pages. More than any of the other books, Rowling has set the stage for upcoming drama to unfold in the wizarding world. Things I particularly enjoyed:

The clearly budding romance between Hermione and Ron (I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I think she is building something up).

The Weasleys showing up as Harry's "family" during the Triwizard Tournament.

Voldemort referring to the "old magic" - aka the love and sacrifice Harry's mother had and made for him. (It was obvious in this book that Harry has loyal friends who love him and that is where much of his magical strength comes from, unlike Voldemort's who dark powers have suffered from his lack of loyal followers.)

Finally finding out a little bit about Snape. She has presented him as a pretty simple character who did not care for Harry, but I knew that he had to be much more complex. We finally find out more about his past and I cant wait to find out more specifics in the upcoming books.

I really enjoyed this book because it went beyond Harry's world, showing the impacts of the dark lord's rise to power may have on others. I continue to find Rowling's innovative genius amazing (the things she can come up with never cease to surprise me, her imagination is endless). This book, more than any others, was a cliffhanger, gearing up for what appears to be a much darker, dangerous world the wizarding community (and by reading the first chapter of book 5) the muggle community must face together. Looking forward to book 5!